Division I - Biology, Chemistry, and Process Engineering

New Approach to Sustainable Weed Control is Based on Studies of Biological Communication between Plants – Menthone Has Bioherbicide Potential: Some plants are very successful in the competition for space, nutrients, and water. They inhibit the growth of their competitors by chemical signals that cause cells of the neighboring plant to die. Scientists of the Botanical Institute of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) study this effect for potential use in environmentally compatible bioherbicides.

The European Research Initiative BATTERY 2030+ Presents Goals – Research Platform CELEST with KIT, Ulm University, and ZSW Participates: To develop tomorrow’s batteries, partners from science and industry all over Europe have launched the research initiatve BATTERY 2030+. Now, a roadmap defines the milestones in more detail: A joint platform for the development of materials with the help of artificial intelliegence (AI), networked sensors and self-healing technology for batteries, and sustainable production and recycling processes.

At Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the NECOC research project is aimed at building a unique test facility for active reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). The world’s first container-scale facility of this type is to convert CO2 contained in ambient air into highly pure carbon black powder that can be used as a resource in industry. Project partners are INERATEC GmbH, a spinoff of KIT, and Climeworks, a spinoff of ETH Zurich.

Increasing drought and heat seriously affect plants. In the Upper Rhine area, for example, climate change results in the development of new plant diseases, an example being Esca, a disease that causes vines to die. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and partners have now launched the DialogProTec project that focuses on new approaches to plant protection without herbicides and fungicides.